I'm usually a fan of Reese Witherspoon as an actress but I thought she was lacklustre in this film. There wasn't anything particularly bad about her performance but I just didn't believe her as Marlena for a second and couldn't empathise with her.
shareI enjoyed Reese's performance, but, there were times I wished there was more emotion. I think it may have been more a function of the script than performance though.
shareI haven't read the book but got the feeling that she was somewhat miscast--that it was one of those occasions in which a less-talented actress who nonetheless could pull off simply being breathtakingly beautiful and vulnerable might have actually been better. Reese might be incapable of acting poorly (and certainly she's attractive if not naturally inclined toward sexiness), but she's too idiosyncratic to just be an old-fashioned ingenue. Plus because it's Reese Witherspoon, it kind of throws off any potential chemistry with Robert Pattinson, who's just too callow a screen presence at this point--even miscast, she seems too much for him.
sharei agree with you're post. I love Reese as an actor, we all know she can bring stuff when it counts but in some of these scenes Rob and Reese wouldnt bring what i as a watcher wanted to see. More emotion that grabs you. I think Naomi Watts did a wonderful job in King Kong and its in the same time frame so i think she would've been a better choice.
"Love is like peeing in your pants, everyone sees it but only you feel its warmth"
Reese wasn't my first choice when I read the book, either, but I guess you'd have to take it up with the screen writer and director, as they both agreed she was their first choice:
Richard LaGravenese, WFE screenwriter:
Q: Can you talk a little about the film’s cast?
A: When I read the book myself I thought of Reese because of a paragraph when Marlene (Reese’s character) is first introduced it described her complexion — the kind of beauty she had...
And this is Reese talking about her character:
"She's got her life wound so tightly and controlled down to every detail," Witherspoon says of Marlena, but you get the sense she's really speaking autobiographically. "You know whenever you feel terribly out of control, you try to control everything and keep it very small. Then in comes this Jacob character: idealistic, young and hopeful…. For me, this movie is about optimism, that second chances are possible. And to be fearless in your decision-making."
For all those saying Reese didn't make her Marlena character show enough passion, this may explain her portrayal.
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No disrespect intended to those quoted, but when a movie is being publicized, the filmmakers ALWAYS claim such-and-such actor was their first choice, is ideal in the role, etc. What else are they going to say? "Well, s/he wasn't perfect for the part, but casting them made securing the financing a lot easier"? "Our first choice insisted we shoot in the U.S. which would have been too expensive"? Of course they wouldn't say those things publicly, although they're probably as often true as any other explanation.
Similarly, when a movie comes out actors always say they loved the script, it was a great working experience, blah blah blah--then if the movie tanks, a couple years later they're free to admit "That movie really didn't turn out as I'd hoped," "That was a very difficult period in my life," etc.
Yeah, that's not always true. I guess I'm going to have to start collecting examples. If they didn't like working with someone, they say nothing at all. In this case, Reese was the first one cast. Months before anyone else. As far as I know, no one else was even considered by the filmmakers. Fans had actresses they wanted in the part, but I don't recall any real talk of auditions.
I just thought of an example of people speaking out and not being so "nice." There were rumors that Jennifer Lawrence was trying to get a part in Michael Bay's new film and she issued a statement saying she never auditioned and wasn't interested in the part.
And there are some rather classic examples of Lily Tomlin dissing one of her directors, and Dustin Hoffman is also known for speaking his mind, not always glowingly. So no, they don't ALWAYS say nice things.
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Actually, cullenista, Scarlett Johannson was the first one considered for the role but she turned it down. I rather liked Reese in this, though. Don't know what you guys are talking about, I actually thought the movie was superbly acted. To each his own, I guess.
Oh, and before you ask me where I got my information about Scarlett, just google it. Or simply look at the trivia section on imdb.
I know that's the rumor, that Scarlett turned it down, but the trivia on IMDB is unreliable, anyone with a pro account can add stuff that isn't verified.
So far I've never heard Scarlett or the director talk about it, so I don't know. Both the director and screenwriter say Reese was their first choice, they're on the record with that.
If you can show me a google source that's actually verified, I'd believe it. I've got nothing against Scarlett, I love her in Woody Allen's films. I just haven't seen where she was offered the role at a legitimate source, just gossip. And repeated gossip doesn't make it fact.
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It's OK if you don't believe it, I don't really care one way or the other which one of them was cast in the role first. Personally, I thought Reese did a fine job.
But I'm not going to do your homework for you on something I don't really care about. I told you where the info was and how you could find it. I'm not going to be the one to find it for you.
I felt the same way. I like her, and Pattinson too, but I just did not believe in their attraction. Rosie was more believably attracted to him than Reese was!
share[deleted]
Personally I thought Robert was terrible. His reaction to certain pieces of dialog were very confusing to me. Like when August is telling him he HAS to use the poker he just laughs and says "Okay." He does a lot of these little laughs to himself throughout the movie, and it never really seems to fit.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
he was nervous in the poker scene which is why he laughed. its a nervous laugh like "is this guy serious?" hes not sure when to go along with it.also, he was nervous during the scene with rosie where he is first told to use the tool to beat her, because he does not want to lose his job, but he also does not want to hurt rosie. he also has never trained an animal before so he is confused. he does what alot of people do when they are nervous or confused and thats to laugh...'
for example, in high school i was going through depression, and i broke down and told my mom i wanted to commit suicide and she started laughing when she walked herself she told me she was so shcoked and scared she started to laugh...
its a nervous laugh like "is this guy serious?" hes not sure when to go along with it.
how is it different? both situations are situations that are supposed to be confusing/shocking for normal people. who laughs when they are told to beat a horse, or that someone wants to commit suicide. its moment where normally you feel shock or confusion. he was shocked and confused/nervous that he was being asked to hurt an animal when its against his nature, i think his nerves get the better of him and he laughs when he doesnt know any other way to express himself.
but anyway, lets just agree to disagree.
I'm normally not a fan of Witherspoon, and in most of her other performances, all I see is Reese Witherspoon rather than whatever character she isn't bringing to life. but I thought she was all right in this one, I was continuously surprised that she was pulling it off. she failed hard at the "no don't kill him" scene, but other than that...
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."
Really? I think what you all are calling lackluster and no emotion was a function of her character! She was AFRAID of her husband and it showed and I found that when she was finally free of him, her real feelings came pouring out! It was a brilliant performance by a brilliant actress!
(and BTW, I have met her and chatted with her while make her a chai tea latte about 4 years ago at a Farmers market in West LA where I operate a coffee cart!)
I thought that Reese Witherspoon did a great job in the role.
shareI thought Reese was miscast. Totally. This needed a young Jessica Lange: vulnerable, feminine, sexy, someone who could convey the idea of confusion, and loyalty at the same time. Reese is too strong a personality. She has too much intelligence in her eyes. You just don't believe she would take anything off a person like August. And now that she's older, even more so. The scenes between the 3 were totally devoid of the kind of tension that was needed.
shareIt doesn't help that Marlena has all the personality and spark of a wet dishrag...
I pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution.
I have to agree. Generally I like her performances overall, but I don't think she felt relatable or convincing in this role. I did not think she was terrible, just lackluster like the OP said.
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I usually like Reese's performances but something was missing in this one. I don't know if the script just didn't give her a way to make Marlena more passionate or what. There wasn't any chemistry between her and Robert Pattinson although it seemed he was feeling it more than she was. She was just off in this role and maybe it was the casting.
The previous poster mentioned that she ddn't look very pretty and I have to agree. I have always thought she is very pretty and cute but in this film...I kept thinking she looked 10 years older than she is.
Really, this was just not for her. I can't put my finger on it but some important thing were lacking when it came to her and this is highly unusual in her case.
I LOVE Reese Witherspoon but Marlena was a really really bad fit for her and even when she was 14 in Man in the Moon she had that air of intelligence and spitfire, and seeing her play a defenseless & defeated victim is hard because you can't buy it for a minute. Captive, insecure, dependent, undetermined characters aren't her strong-suit.(I'm not saying she's one-note)
The role of Marlena had Rachel McAdams written all over it, it truly was a role tailor made for Rachel MacAdams.
Jacks
I totally agree that Rachel MacAdam would have been the proper choice, as would Ryan Gosling for the role of Jacob. While I read the book they are the people I pictured,
shareI LOVE Reese Witherspoon but Marlena was a really really bad fit for her and even when she was 14 in Man in the Moon she had that air of intelligence and spitfire, and seeing her play a defenseless & defeated victim is hard because you can't buy it for a minute.
It's called acting, my dear. I agree that Reese came off as rigid and cold rather than as a sympathetically defeated woman who has been trapped in an endless loop of abuse. But that was a fault of her acting, not a function of her intelligence.
"I'd never ask you to trust me. It's the cry of a guilty soul."